Heat, high winds and red flag warning expected on Mother’s Day

Karen Payne holds onto her hat as her long blonde locks fly in the wind on the Manhattan Beach Pier. Forecasters say strong winds along with hot temperatures will arrive Sunday.
File/Brad Graverson/Staff Photographer

Along with flowers, cards and family, a weather system with hot temperatures and strong winds is expected to arrive on Mother’s Day, increasing the potential for wildfires.

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning that begins 6 a.m. today and is expected to expire Tuesday at 8 p.m. for the Inland Empire. The warning for Los Angeles and Ventura counties is set to cease Monday night.

Communities from the coast to the San Bernardino Mountains are expected to see low humidity and high winds, according to the NWS.

Winds out of the northeast of 20 mph with gusts expected to reach 70 mph will arrive today, decrease overnight, then pick up again Monday and Tuesday, according to the weather service. Humidity levels are expected to hover around 5 percent.

Similar weather conditions helped quickly spread a Rancho Cucamonga wildfire, dubbed the Etiwanda Fire, on April 30. That fire burned 2,143 acres, forced more than 1,000 homes to be evacuated for half a day and injured three firefighters before it was fully contained last week.

Investigators determined the Etiwanda Fire ignited from an illegal campfire.

Similarly in January, an illegal campfire sparked the Colby Fire in the hills north of Azusa and Glendora, destroying multiple homes while charring just under 2,000 acres.

During red flag warnings, fire officials ask residents not to start fires outdoors, don’t pull cars into dry brush, and be prepared to evacuate in case a fire ignites nearby.

In response to the high-fire potential Cal Fire has increased staffing, including a strike team consisting of five engines in San Bernardino, according to spokeswoman Liz Brown.